Mourning ring

A mourning ring is a finger ring worn in memory of someone who has died.[1] It often bears the name and date of death of the person, and possibly an image of them, or a motto. They were usually paid for by the person commemorated, or their heirs, and often specified, along with the list of intended recipients, in wills.[2] Stones mounted on the rings were usually black, where it could be afforded Jet stone was the preferred option.[3] Otherwise cheaper black materials such as black enamel or vulcanite were used.[3] White enamel was used on occasion particularly where the deceased was a child.[4] It also saw some use when the person being mourned hadn't married.[5] In some cases a lock of hair of the deceased person would be incorporated into the ring.[4] The use of hair in morning rings wasn't as widespread as it might have been due to concerns that the hair of the deceased would be substituted with other hair.[6]

The use of mourning rings date back to at least the 14th century[1] although its only in the 17th century that they clearly separated from more general Memento mori rings.[2] By the mid 18th century jewelers had started to advertise the speed with which such rings could be made.[4] The style largely settled upon was a single small stone with the deceased's particulars recorded in enamel on the hoop.[4] In the latter half of the 19th century the style shifted towards mass produced rings featuring a photograph mounted on the bezel before the use of mourning rings largely ceased towards the end of the century.[1]

Use of morning rings resurfaced in 1930s and 40s in the United States.[7] The rings were made of bakelite and mounted a small picture of the person being mourned.[7]